They’re two of the BBL’s biggest heavyweights, but so far this season things haven’t quite gone to plan for the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and Newcastle Eagles.
That’s what makes tonight’s clash between the two titans live on Sky Sports Mix and YouTube (7:45 tip-off) so exciting: both coming into it off the back of their first wins of the season, which of the two teams will be able to grab another dub and take some big momentum into the busy winter months!?
We caught up with two of the toughest guards in the BBL,
Sheffield’s talismanic Rodney Glasgow Jr. and Newcastle’s sharp-shooting Ben
Mockford, to look ahead to this epic showdown.
“It has been a tough start but we’ve shown that we can
compete with the best and also signs of consistency on both ends of the floor.”
Glasgow Jr. said.
“Particularly defensively I think we’re moving in a really
good direction. Offensively, our rhythm will come but on the defensive end I’ve
liked what I’ve seen.
“We need to work on making sure our confidence is always
there, no matter the results or how the game is going, because this is a game
of runs and you’ve got to have full belief – no matter how the last play went –
that you can execute on the next one individually and as a team.
“To get that win against Cheshire was important for our
confidence. Every game is different and it was an ugly win, but that result was
important for us. Starting 0-4, we needed to keep our morale up. Guys were
being hard on themselves but they don’t need to be, it’s a long season and we
just need to get back on track and refocus, and the wins will come.”
“We’ve been better than our record suggests, for sure.”
The Eagles come into this encounter after a crunch victory
against the Plymouth City Patriots last weekend in BBL Cup action – their first
win of the season.
Despite taking some time to get that inaugural dub on the
board this season, there have been plenty of flashes of positivity and
potential from the Eagles, who have certainly been better than their
Championship record of 0-3 suggests.
“It’s definitely a big game for us, we’re 0-3 right now in
the league but we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and getting things right at
this time of year. We know Sheffield are a solid team who run their stuff well
and have some talent, but we just need to focus on ourselves, making sure we execute
and deliver results.
“We’ve been better than our record suggests, for sure. We
play well for big stretches in the game, but have short periods where we dip
and that has costs us. We’re improving, we’re gelling more, and we’re excited
to see how we progress as the season goes on.
“There’s a lot of talent in this team, we’re just trying to
tweak a few things and make sure we execute and avoid those lapses as much as
we can. We’re coming together as a team and getting on the same page, so once
we figure that out we’re going to very tough to stop.”
“He’s shown a lot in these first few games but he can
do more.”
One of the most exciting things about tonight’s encounter
from the perspective of a neutral will be seeing two of the BBL’s newest stars
going to battle for the first time, as Sheffield’s Sa’eed Nelson and Newcastle’
Javion Hamlet have both set the league alight as two exciting rookie guards in
the BBL.
Glasgow Jr. discussed his thoughts on both players, and why
he feels there is so much more to come from his teammate – Nelson – and how
perfect Newcastle’s Hamlet is for the BBL.
“I knew Sa’eed was going to be a very dynamic player for us,
and he’s getting better game-by-game, so I’m trying to make sure he and I push
each other to be better and stay on the same page. He’s shown a lot in these
first few games, but he can do more and I’m excited to see him develop.
“Newcastle’s new guard is a special talent as well, Javion
Hamlet – you can see how dynamic he is and a scoring talent. He’s a perfect
guard for this league, so we’ve got to make sure we limit him to his weaknesses
as much as possible and hopefully that gives them problems.
“I don’t think their record reflects their performances so far, nor does it reflect the talent on their team. They’ve got a lot of shooters, they’ve got strong guards, a great coach in Marc (Steutel) and they’re going to start getting wins so we can’t sleep on them and need to stick to the game plan.”